


Lunch, Memories and Possible Assault?

by Foxtrotbeastbot



Series: Cop and Baker [7]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fighting, mentions of amputation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 02:58:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9948890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxtrotbeastbot/pseuds/Foxtrotbeastbot
Summary: A bit of Felicity's past comes back to haunt her.





	

“Thanks and have a great day!” Felicity called after her last customer. The bell over the door jingled and the vixen looked around her empty shop. It was a slow day for business; open for 5 hours and only 2 sales. Her phone buzzed from her back pocket with a message from Bogo.

_“Hey Love, how’s business?”_

_“Lousy. Only sold a dozen cookies and a loaf of lemon poppy seed bread since opening. Thinking of just shutting down for the day.”_

_“Care for a lunch date then? I know a great diner close to the precinct. They have bug burgers and stuff.”_

_“Sounds great. I’ll meet you at the front desk.”_

Felicity had shut down the bakery and changed out of her work clothes within a half hour, choosing to wear a comfortable t-shirt and denim shorts that fell just above her knees. Normally, she’d be sure to cover her prosthetic leg with long pants or skirts, but it was high summer now and much too warm.

A brisk walk brought her to the central downtown area and the familiar precinct building. Clawhauser waved to her from the front desk.

“Morning Feli!” he called. “Bogo’s just finishing up with a perp. He’ll be out in a minute.”

“No rush Benny. It was a slow day, so I shut down the bakery. So, any interesting gossip around the Cop Shop?” The spotty feline beamed and launched into a breakdown of the mornings events; mostly petty crimes- purse snatching and the like- but a large grizzly had been arrested for a severe domestic assault charge. Clawhauser was just about to go on a rant over the latest tabloid news concerning mayor Canidae and Gazelle (Zootopia’s biggest power couple) when Bogo came to the rescue.

“There you are love. Come on, let’s get that lunch.”

Paw in hoof, they walked across the plaza lawns, dodging the herds hustling and bustling through their daily migrations. The diner was tucked away to the left of the train station, almost hidden behind a gift shop and Information centre. It was a quaint little place, decorated in 50’s style with a jukebox in the corner playing soft music. Despite the noon hour, the place was only sparsely filled with a mix of both predator and prey. Taking a seat in a booth close to the kitchen, they were quickly given menus and glasses of water by the waiter.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about their menu.” Chuckled Felicity. “They even have fowl in here!”

While fish, tofu and bug products were the most common source of protein for predators in Zootopia, some eateries did include birds as a more satisfying form of meat. It was rare though, and normally expensive.

“I thought you’d like it. Get whatever you want hon, it’s my treat.”

Bogo got a simple hay burger while Felicity ordered the fish and chips.  As they waited for their food, Felicity let her eyes wander the room, gazing over the other patrons. Such a nice little place...How had she lived in the city her whole life and not known about this diner?

Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open, a tall red Kangaroo ambling out and tipping his cap with one paw.

“Great doing business with you Gus!” he called into the kitchen. “I’ll bring more next week! Felicity’s jaw dropped.

“Jack?!” she squeaked. The boomer looked around, brown eyes lighting up when they found the vixen.

“MUM!!!” In two bounds the roo had crossed the diner and scooped Felicity out of the booth, hugging her tight and laughing as he spun her around. Felicity squeezed him back just as tight, laughing and ruffling her son’s fur, utterly ignoring the stares from the other diner patrons.

“What are you doing here?” she asked happily. “I thought the farm kept you too busy to visit!”

“I’ve been selling my surplus crops to this Diner. We had a great potato crop this year and since the Burrow Bunny folk won’t buy from me, I had to look to the city. The owner of this place needed more spuds for his fries. ‘Ello, who’s this?” Jack had finally noticed Bogo, who smiled and offered his hoof to shake.

“Chief Martin Bogo. Nice to meet you, Jack.” Jack’s long ears stood straight up and he let out a low whistle as he set his mother down.

“So you’re the one mum’s always yappin’ about on the phone. For months it’s been Martin this and Bogo that. Not that I’m whining though. It’s about time she found herself a good fella. Most males bolt when the mention of me and the ankle biters comes up.”

“Jack!” Felicity was blushing to the tips of her ears. Jack held up his paws pleadingly.

“Okay Mum, Okay, I’m shutting up. Still, I’m happy for you. He seems like the strong dependable type; just what you and the rugrats need.”

“Why don’t you sit with us Jack?” Bogo gestured to the booth. “We were just ordering lunch.” Jack set a paw to his chin for a second before nodding.

“Sure mate, I got some time.” Felicity and Bogo shared one seat while Jack took the opposite side, pulling off his cap.

“So, how’s Alice doing? You’re not making me a grandmother just yet are you?” the vixen asked with a sly wink. Jack groaned and clapped a paw over his eyes.

“Muuuum! We’ve barely been married a year!”

“Your point?”

“We’re still getting used to being a married couple. Finding our rhythm, y’know? Besides....Alice’s Family still won’t talk to her much. We don’t want to bring any litters into the burrow without some sort of safety net.”

“Hmm, good point.” Sighed Felicity. “Still, I would’ve thought the Hopps family would be more open-minded after Judy.” Bogo choked on a sip of his water, coughing.

“Your wife is a Hopps?” he gasped. Jack gave a little shrug.

“A different branch of the same warren. Her father was in the same litter as Judy’s. Unfortunately, Old Horace didn’t like the slightly more liberal views Stu had. He threw a complete fit when Alice and I got married and cut her out of the family. I mean, Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Stu are okay with us, but a lot of the Burrows...well, when one branch cuts you out, the whole warren does, even if they don’t agree. But oddly enough, Alice doesn’t seem to care.”

“She’s such a sweetheart. Always hopping to the beat of her own drum, never follows the crowd.” Felicity nodded. Clearly this vixen loved her daughter-in-law. Before Jack could reply, a shadow fell over the table, a deep voice asking

“Excuse me, were you the ones to order the Deluxe Hay burger and the Fish n’ Chips?” Felicity looked up with a smile.

“Oh yes, that was u-” the words died in her throat as she got a good look at their waiter. In front of her was a large black jaguar clutching a tray. On his own, he wasn’t very intimidating, but what held the vixen captive was his eyes; piercing yellow eyes flecked with a tiny brown ring around the iris.

The last time she had seen those eyes they had been narrowed in hatred and rage, glaring down at her as a large foot slammed down on her shin, shattering it beyond repair. Her hear hammered against her ribs and she started to tremble, all the memories she had spent a decade trying to bury and destroy returning in a rush. She could smell the dampness of the rain, feel his claws, and hear her bone break with a heart stopping snap. A sharp spike of pain raced through her mangled stump at the memory.

“Felicity?” Bogo asked, setting a gentle hoof on his girlfriends shoulder and feeling her jump under his touch. On the other end of the table, Jack’s face contorted with rage.

“You!” he snarled. The jaguar set the tray on the table, looking just as scared and shaky as Felicity. His eyes flicked down to Felicity’s prosthetic and his paws clenched.

“Oh my god...I-I did that, didn’t I?” he asked softly. Felicity shifted, almost trying to hide behind Bogo. Jack stood, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

“Yeah, you and your thug pals.” He barked. “Four big cats against one bitty little vixen and her six year old kid Oh, I’ve been waiting years for this!”

In a flash, Jack’s powerful back legs shot out, slamming into the big cat’s stomach and sending him flying across the diner. The other patrons screamed and the place erupted into a clamor. Bogo leapt from the booth, grabbing Jack and stopping him from going after the downed jaguar.

“Jack, have you lost it?” he bellowed.

“Piss off mate, he’s had this coming!” snapped Jack, fighting hard to get loose. “That cat is the reason Mum lost her leg! Lemme go dammit!”

“Come on Jack, don’t make me arrest you!”

“Let him go...”

“What?!” the scuffling males looked to the jaguar, who was starting to sit up slowly, rubbing his middle with a head hung low.

“Let him go. Let him beat me. He’s right, I deserve it...” he wheezed. He looked to Felicity, who was curled in the corner of the booth seat in terror. “I remember you. I was a stupid kid, did a lot of dumb junk. I mauled Mammals for kicks, because it made me feel like the apex predator...It got me sent to jail. I got therapy, realized what an idiot I’d been. The courts...they didn’t say I had to...But I made them give me an order to dull my claws.” His lifted his huge paws, showing the dull lumps where the quick and claw had been burned and filed down, just like Felicity’s. Jack’s thick tail slammed the floor.

“And that makes it better?!” He barked. “You did a few years, whined to a doctor and dulled your claws, boo hoo! My mum lost her LEG! A full limb! Do you have any idea what you put her through?! Months of painful physical therapy to learn to walk again, thousands of dollars for her prosthetic leg, a doctors bill for the operation we’re STILL paying off, Phantom pains! Because of you, she lost job after job! Do you have a clue how hard it is for a fox to find work in this city? Most places won’t hire them because of that stupid ‘sneaky thief’ stereotype, but if they have a missing limb? Forget it! Thanks to you and your ‘dumb junk’ my mother had to find a way to support four kids plus her on next to nothing. Nothing!”

Breaking loose from Bogo’s hold, Jack bounded over, grabbing the cat by his shirt collar and shaking him.

“Do you know how many times that vixen sacrificed her own dinner so her kids would have enough to eat? You ever try to feed a rhino and a polar bear that happen to be going through massive growth spurts? It takes a LOT of food! Hell, I had to take a job in secret so I could slip money INTO mum’s wallet, jus so she could eat! Do you know how many times she fainted from malnutrition? How often she got sick because her body didn’t have the energy or nutrients to heal? You. Ruined. Her. LIFE!!!”

Finally, Jack dropped the panther, breathing hard and shivering. The cat didn’t move. He just knelt on the floor, head in his paws. The diner had gone deathly quiet, the other customers staring at the scene. The owner and the cook were both staring out the pickup window, oblivious to the eggs burning on the griddle behind them. A waitress was frozen in shock. The jaguar looked up at last, eyes full of tears as he looked at Felicity.

“I-I know I can never reverse what I’ve done.” He choked. “I know saying sorry won’t fix the suffering I put you or your children through...” Felicity just shook harder, her chest rising and falling far too fast to be healthy. The panther let out a sob.

“I’m Sorry! I’m so, so, so sorry!” He cried, crawling forward to clutch at her shorts. At the sound of Felicity’s panicked gasp, Bogo stomped forward, tearing the cat away from her.

“That’s enough!” he snapped. His voice took a much more gentle tone as he set a gentle hoof on Felicity’s back. “Honey, come on.” He was about to throw some money on the table to pay for the uneaten food, but a shout from the kitchen stopped him.

“Don’t bother!” the owner called. “This one’s on us. Clara, go box that up for them! Tulio, get the hell out, you’re fired!” The zebra waitress snapped out of her shocked stillness, racing to the back to get a pair of to go boxes as the Jaguar slowly stood and walked out of the diner, casting one last look back on the Vixen he’d mauled so many years before.

With their cold lunches in hand, the trio left the diner in silence. Felicity barely made it halfway across the plaza before she broke down, her throat closing around the sobs she was desperately trying to swallow down. Bogo was at her side in a split second, lifting her up and carrying her to a bench before hugging her tightly and stroking her back.

“It’s okay love, just let it out.” He crooned. Felicity clutched at his shirt, loud gasping sobs ripping from her chest. Bogo felt his heart break a little at the sight. This had all happened too fast, too soon. Of course she wouldn’t be able to deal with seeing her attacker.

Watching the two, Jack ran a paw over his ears with a frustrated sigh.

“Hey uh, sorry for cussing you out back there Chief.” He apologized. “And for ruining your date.”

“It’s fine.” Replied Bogo. “You were understandably upset. You both were. Though next time, try not to commit assault would you? I don’t want to have to arrest my girlfriend’s son.” Jack chuckled a little, plunking down on the bench on Felicity’s other side.

“Yeah, Alice would have killed me if I’d gotten tossed in the tank.” Together, the three of them waited for Felicity’s cries to stop. Eventually, the tears dried, but she still shook with the remaining traces of adrenaline in her body. From his pocket, Bogo’s phone beeped.

“Damn, my lunch break is over.” He winced. “But I can’t leave you like this love.” He rubbed Felicity’s back gently. Jack shook his head.

“No worries mate, I’ll look after mum.” He said. “I was planning on paying her a visit anyway. Got some fresh fruit for the bakery.” Bogo knelt in front of Felicity, tilting her chin up a little.

“Love, will you be okay?”

Felicity nodded silently, giving him a shaky smile and a quick peck on the nose.

“Go on hon. Go save the city one report at a time.” She murmured. “I love you.”

“Love you too. See you tonight.” With the gentlest of head butts, more a tiny touch of foreheads than anything, the buffalo stood and headed across the lawn to the precinct. Felicity and Jack watched him go before Jack scooped his mother off the bench with a wild laugh.

“Come on mum! Let’s go have a bit of a ride before we head home eh? You need a smile!” he chortled as he hopped towards his van, parked not too far away.


End file.
